Laos

Wat Sisaket, with thousands of small Buddha images lining its cloister walls, survived the wars that destroyed much of the city’s older architecture. The evening Mekong riverside night market offers food stalls and handicrafts with views across to Thailand. COPE Visitor Centre gives visitors a sobering look at the legacy of unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War era, alongside stories of ongoing clearance efforts. Vientiane’s unhurried streets make it one of the more understated Southeast Asian capitals.

Kuang Si Falls, a series of turquoise cascading pools outside town, is one of the most popular half-day trips, with a bear rescue center along the way. Mount Phousi, climbed by a stairway through the town center, offers sunset views over the rivers and surrounding hills. The night market along the main street sells handwoven textiles and silver from surrounding hill tribe villages. Luang Prabang’s blend of French colonial architecture and Buddhist tradition makes it one of Southeast Asia’s most atmospheric small cities.

The city’s daily market gives a straightforward look at local life, trading produce, textiles, and river fish from the nearby Mekong. Boat trips from Pakse lead south toward Si Phan Don, the Four Thousand Islands, where the Mekong widens dramatically. Tad Fane, one of the region’s tallest twin waterfalls, is an easy day trip into the plateau’s cooler, forested highlands. Pakse offers a quieter, less touristed base for exploring southern Laos’s temples and waterfalls.